Gundam SEED: Fallen Sword
by DX1998
Summary: Artemis was never going to be a safe haven for the Archangel. There was too much bad blood between Eurasia and the Atlantic Federation. However, the presence of a mercenary and a 'Gundam' there was a surprise no one was prepared for. The group behind this pilot and her machine...well. They'd change the entire Cosmic Era. No one said being 'neutral' meant being weak...


**AN: Back in the saddle, here...**

* * *

_"Artemis? Why would you want me to go to Artemis? Isn't there nothing out there but-"  
_

_"To be completely honest, we really want you to go to Heliopolis. Athha vetoed that, since he doesn't want to tip Sahaku off that we know about his little side-project. Artemis is the only place close enough to matter. With that in mind, we want you to integrate yourself into the command structure. Get them to listen to you, and hopefully figure out what they know about the project. Maybe we'll get lucky and you can see Sahaku hand off his new toys."_

_"Will I have my Mobile Suit, then?"_

_"Naturally. Though, for appearances sake, you're a 'mercenary' who got it from a secret builder. If anyone gets past that story, you're an immigrant to Orb. Do not, under any circumstances, let anyone figure out your true homeland. We may be allied with Orb, however, that is top secret. If anyone finds out where you or your machine are from? Don't let it happen. This goes double for the Eurasians."  
_

_"You don't need to tell me that. We couldn't hope to deal with them. Not even with the Gundam."_

_"Exactly. Now get out there, Lieutenant, and figure out what the Earth Forces are really up to. I don't trust that Heliopolis is the only thing they're doing..."_

* * *

**Eurasian Federation Fortress Artemis**

* * *

Far from any active frontline, the Eurasian Federation base of Artemis was largely ignored. Expensive as the Umbrella of Artemis had been to construct...not even Eurasia considered the base worth anything. It had been built mostly to claim the area for colonies that were never built, after Orb built Heliopolis and the Eurasian investments in the PLANTs came to nothing. Since then, it had languished, an expensive relic that was passed over in the great war ravaging Earth. It would likely have remained such until ZAFT finally decided to do something. Were it not for one, quite simple, fact.

It was close to Heliopolis and the natural point of escape for the warship the Earth Forces had built there.

"The Atlantic Federation's secret project. I always knew there was something going on at Heliopolis." An overweight man, clad in the uniform of an Admiral, stared out at the image of a majestic warship. White and red, it looked nothing like any Earth Forces warship. Save, perhaps, for the color scheme matching the Alliance standard uniform.

Standing beside him, a white-haired woman sighed softly. _She_ knew exactly what she was looking at, if only from hearsay back home. It was certainly more impressive seeing it in person, though. The fact it was being chased by ZAFT was less fortunate. Heliopolis had paid a harsh toll for the survival of this ship. A price that was distantly visible, even from the command center of Artemis. Debris and destruction.

"And the _Mobile Suit_ is even more impressive," the man, Admiral Garcia, continued. He turned his gaze towards the woman, a sly smile crossing his lips. The kind that made it clear exactly _how_ he'd come to be in charge of Artemis. "Tell me, Forsberg. Do you think that machine is better than your own? Or the Hyperion, for that matter?"

_I won't answer that question, not how you want me to._ Sighing deeply, Kristina Forsberg brushed a lock of hair from her face. "Without seeing the machine up close? I can't say for sure. It, at least, is more versatile than the Hyperion but..."

Garcia waved a hand, "Yes, yes. Your dislike for _our_ designs is well known. Frankly, I still want to know where you got your own machine from. It looks too much like the Hyperion or the Atlantic Federation's machines for it to be a coincidence."

"It is, though." Kristina deflected, her reddish-brown gaze looking at the Atlantic Federation machine pictured above her. The screen didn't do it justice, the massive cannon in its hand firing towards the ZAFT forces. It was a still from a recording, not even fresh, but it still showed the _power_ of the machine. The Gundam.

Maybe it was a coincidence that the Earth Forces machines looked so much like her own. Maybe it was the Sahaku family, stealing from Orb's national program. Perhaps that could explain the Heliopolis machines. It didn't explain the Hyperion, which was designed from a completely different side and from different origins. The existence of that handful of machines was why she was in Artemis, in the first place. Someone had figured out they existed and it was little surprise that her superiors took notice. They wanted her to find out everything she could about them.

Even if it meant she had to take orders from Garcia, the most repugnant man she'd ever had the misfortune of meeting.

"Whatever you say, Forsberg." The Eurasian dismissed her statement, his attention moving back to the Atlantic Federation warship. She was, even now, being raided by his soldiers. Allies. "Hm. I wonder if the Hawk of Endymion tutored the pilot of that machine..." Garcia snorted softly, not turning his attention away from where the screen showed the warship. "I want you to come with me, later. We're going to find the pilot of the mobile suit and get everything we can out of him. It will be quite a boon for the Hyperion's continued development!"

"Of course." Kristina nodded, though her mind was whirling with questions of her own. She had her own reasons for wanting to meet this pilot. She rather doubted those reasons were the same as Garcia's.

How could they be, when she knew so very much more than she was letting on?

Turning his chair around, the Admiral began setting himself up for meeting the officers of the warship. His eyes greedily absorbing all the information he could get. A wide grin crossing his square-jawed face, when he came to a blonde man. "All this trouble is _almost_ worth it, to have the Hawk of Endymion in Artemis. I wonder if I can convince him to train our pilots..."

"I'd love the chance to fly with him. Even back home, everyone knows about Mu La Flaga. I've always-" Kristina trailed off, when she realized that Garcia wasn't listening. She sighed and continued, her voice so soft the man couldn't have heard her if he tried. "I've always wanted to be as good as he is."

* * *

Walking through the halls of Artemis, Kristina headed towards the warship. She'd left Garcia alone with La Flaga and the other Atlantic Federation officers. She didn't really like the idea of doing that, considering what the man was like, but he forced her hand. His second-in-command had come in and basically forced her out. 'A mercenary has no place in a meeting between allies'. So he'd said.

And so, she had nothing to do but head towards the warship. Curiosity about the Gundam and its pilot driving her forward, and away from her hero. There would be time enough to meet Mu La Flaga later. That, she was more than sure of.

_Garcia has already moved my machine, I know that much. He can't resist the chance to steal this warship from under the American's nose._ Shaking her head bemusedly, Kristina walked up towards a Eurasian marine guarding the shuttle that had been ferrying troops to the warship. _He probably wants to make it his own flagship. My machine is central to that._

"Hold up!" The soldier broke her from that train of thought, holding up a hand. The other hand clutched a rifle tightly, as he looked Kristina up and down. "What are you doing over here, _mercenary_? The Admiral left orders that no one could come or go from the ship without-"

Kristina sighed, and held up a pad. On the screen, an image of Garcia's own handwriting. Giving her permission to investigate the warship as she pleased, so long as she reported anything she found to him.

"I'm just doing my job, you know. The Admiral wants my impressions of the ship." Kristina watched as the man looked over the pad, his eyes trailing over it, and snapping up to look at her.

He grimaced, more in annoyance than anything else. "Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and get on the shuttle."

As the 'mercenary' walked past him, she couldn't help but hear the thing he muttered under his breath.

_"Why he trusts you is beyond me."_

"Because I've been nothing but helpful, and the Admiral appreciates that." Kristina couldn't help the smile on her lips, when the man turned his sour expression away from her. She felt a little amusement at his reaction. "Also, I'd appreciate you _not_ treating me like I'm not human."

She didn't stay to hear whatever he said in response. Kristina just walked through the hatch, into the shuttle, and from there to her seat. Various engineers and soldiers were already seated, probably going to look over the warship and its Gundam. Kristina gave polite nods to the engineers and tried to ignore the suspicious glances from the soldiers. Be it her disguise as a mercenary or her name- and lingering dislike from Eurasians towards her homeland -very few of Artemis' military personnel liked her. The feeling was generally mutual.

This was, after all, the _last_ place she wanted to be.

Breathing out a soft sigh, Kristina leaned back in her seat and enjoyed what little peace and quiet she had. She had a feeling that, once she was aboard the Atlantic Federation's warship, she wouldn't get much more of it. A ship like that was destined for great things.

* * *

"Who're you?"

Kristina could, honestly, say she had expected that reaction. The looks of anger on the faces of the Atlantic Federation officers was only natural. Their ship had entered a 'friendly' port, only for all of them to be tossed into the mess hall. Under armed guard without a single one of their command staff present. No military man or woman would be comfortable with that lack of control. That _betrayal._

Good thing she wasn't Eurasian.

"My name's Kristina. I'm...a bit of a mercenary that Artemis hired on a while back." Mission in mind, Kristina said only the minimum necessary. She leaned up against a table, arms crossed over her petite chest. The Eurasian uniform she wore never did fit _quite_ right. "I'm a Mobile Suit pilot. I'll admit to being curious who was flying _your_ machine. They're quite good."

Now, a spy she wasn't. But Kristina had been paying close attention to the group around her. A handful of people in white uniforms. A group of clear civilians. And some kids in blue or pink uniforms, depending on gender. She honestly expected the pilot was one of those in the white uniforms. Maybe the blonde girl in the background, or one of the men. That it was one of the kids never occurred to her.

"What's it to you?" A mountain of a man asked, his dark-skinned face twisted into a scowl. "And what sort of Mobile Suit pilot would work with Eurasia? Aren't you all with ZAFT?"

"I'm a Natural, actually, so I was never with ZAFT." Kristina uncrossed her arms, throwing them up in a self-deprecating shrug.

Another man, this time with blue hair, stepped up. He didn't move from the table, though his eyes were narrowed slightly. "If you're a Natural, how are you flying a Mobile Suit? We could never get an OS working properly for a Natural."

_Which means the pilot is a Coordinator? I mean, that isn't surprising. I can only fly one because the Gundam gave us a free OS. Hm..._

Staring the man in the eyes, the 'mercenary' didn't say her conclusion aloud. It would have been more than pointless, since she doubted it would help her much. "My group got a bit lucky when we made ours. I'm not even the only one out there. Besides, haven't you heard of Serpent Tail?"

Murmurs greeted her words, as the blue-haired man frowned. "Of course I have. You with them?"

"Nope!" Kristina smiled a bit wider, at least enjoying this bit. She did like keeping people guessing. It was the only source of amusement she had, here at Artemis. "Anyway, I know the pilot isn't the Hawk. No one else can fly his Zero."

"Then why didn't you ask him yourself?" The first man asked, his hand holding a kid down beside him. A kid with dark hair and purple eyes that looked vaguely familiar for some reason. "The Lieutenant could tell you everything you need to know."

"Unfortunately I-" Kristina's smile turned a little bittersweet. "Well, no one here trusts me as much as they could. I don't know what the Admiral is doing with your command staff."

"Some allies they are." A man with curly hair muttered under his breath.

The blue-haired man sighed and sat back down, "Do you know when they'll be done, at least?"

Kristina shrugged, "Not a clue."

As if he were expecting that answer, the man gestured at the table. "Well, you might as well join us. We're just passing the time until we hear something." Turning around, he waved a hand towards the mess station, where the cooks were preparing a simple meal. "Hey! Get our new friend something to eat."

Taking the proffered seat, the mercenary smoothed her skirt and sat down. Her red gaze sweeping over the crowd, coming back to that one kid in the blue uniform. He was looking at her with curiosity in his own violet eyes, ignoring the way the burly man beside him placed a hand on his shoulder. Most of the kids were looking at her in much the same way, but this one...he was different. She saw something in his eyes. And it wasn't just how familiar he looked, even though Kristina couldn't remotely place _where_ she had seen someone who looked like that before.

She saw the eyes of someone who had seen combat.

"I understand why you don't want to tell me who flew the Mobile Suit, by the way." Kristina turned away from the boy, and looked back at the actual officers around her. She smiled softly, idly brushing a bit of hair from her face. "We all have our secrets. You probably want to protect him too. Right?"

The officers shared a look, before their unofficial spokesman- the blue-haired man -sighed and stuck his hand out. "That's about it. Arnold Neumann, by the way."

Taking the hand, Kristina nodded her head and shook it. "Kristina Forsberg. Could you at least let me know the name of that Gundam?"

Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Neumann who replied to that question. He pulled back, mouthing the word 'Gundam' as if he had never heard it before. No. The one who answered the question was the boy, his violet eyes locked directly on Kristina.

"How do you know it's a Gundam, Miss Forsberg?" He asked, his voice filled with honest confusion. "That name...its from the OS...?"

Kristina frowned, "Maybe from your machine. The one I'm familiar with was always called a Gundam. Maybe the Earth Forces copied it?"

A teasing lilt came to her voice, when she spoke those words. Both to cover her little mistake, and to deflect the attention back onto the Atlantic officers. She wanted to know, after all, if there was any sign that Sahaku had copied more than just the Astray program. Not that she necessarily expected low-ranking officers to know that, but...well. Better safe than sorry.

"I don't-"

Before the boy could say much more than that, the sound of footsteps echoed down the hallway. Kristina bit her lip, and the Atlantic Federation officers were on-guard. She knew who that was.

_Garcia. Damnit, this isn't the time._

* * *

Sitting across from the strange white-haired woman, Kira Yamato tilted his head in confusion. She was...she was strange. And not just because she was a mercenary who knew the 'Gundam' name. A name that he, himself, had only coined at the start of the last battle. The implication that there were _more_ of these machines out there, other than the Strike and the others, was scary. Even with that...the strangest thing was how she looked at _him_. Like she had seen him somewhere. He knew, for a fact, he'd never seen a woman with white-hair and red eyes before.

It was the kind of face you'd remember seeing. And Kira had a really, really good memory.

"I'd suggest staying calm and not doing anything to annoy the Admiral," the woman, Kristina, spoke up. Her eyes were locked onto Kira again, before they shifted to cover everyone in the military side of the cafeteria. "He's going to want to know who the pilot is, and he won't be as _nice_ as me. I'm fine not knowing for now. He won't take no for an answer."

Mr. Neumann frowned, staring at Kristina. "You can't be serious. They've already taken over the ship, isn't that enough?"

Kristina actually laughed, climbing to her feet and moving to stand at the head of the table. "You don't know Garcia like I do. He wants everything he can to make Eurasia more powerful and make _himself_ more important. Artemis isn't enough. The Hyperion and my machine aren't enough. He'll want this ship for his flag and that Gundam for his personal knight. _Don't trust him." _She looked at everyone when she said that, her face and voice more serious than it had been since she first walked into the cafeteria. "I'll do what I can, but I can't stop him if he really wants something."

"That just fills me with a good feeling." Mr. Murdoch grunted behind Kira, his hands remaining firmly placed on the teen's shoulders. He squeezed a little, making Kira look up at his deadly serious gaze. "Don't do anything stupid, Kira. Let us handle things."

"But what if he tries to hurt someone?" Kira instantly protested, not even noticing when the Admiral walked into the room.

"He'll be doing it to get a reaction." Mr. Murdoch replied, before raising a finger to his lips and jerking his head towards the door.

Kira followed the gesture, seeing a large man come in with several Eurasian soldiers. All of them had assault rifles in hand, pointing at the _Archangel_ crew. The man at the front walked forward, scanning the crowd. He scowled at Kristina, who remained firmly standing in front of the table. Shaking his head, the Admiral moved further into the room, walking right up to her. He didn't take one step further...but he did stop and stare directly at her. Ignoring the slight height difference between them.

"Forsberg. I never gave you orders to come here before me." The man ground out, his tone filled with annoyance. His face was scrunched up in an even deeper scowl now.

The woman just shrugged her shoulders, "You told me to find out everything I could about the ship and the pilot. I chose to get started on that early. Something wrong with that, _sir_?"

Even Kira could hear the sarcasm in how she said that title.

"Damn woman," the Admiral grunted in annoyance, though he didn't deny her point. No, he just looked past her arm, and at the group sitting at the table. "One of them is the pilot, I'm guessing?"

"Probably. They haven't told me, and I'm not going to push it."

With a snort, Garcia stepped forward. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the adults first. "Hm. A mechanic and a few bridge officers, if I'm not mistaken. None of _them_ are the pilot."

"How do you know that?" Mr. Neumann walked forward, standing right in front of Garcia. He was doing the exact same thing he'd done before, with Kristina.

_Why am I worried this time, though?_ Kira stared worriedly at the _Archangel's_ pilot. He was a nice guy and tried to help out the students when he could. Kira didn't want to see him hurt. He didn't want to see _any_ of them hurt. _I don't like this. I don't like this at all._

"Your Captain may not have said anything," Garcia shot back, his smug tone grating on the ears. His face twisting into a superior smirk, when he continued. "However, Commander Biddaulph was quite clear in his report. I know what each and every one of your bridge crew were assigned to. _You_ are the ship's pilot, after all."

Mr. Neumann grit his teeth, and stepped back a little. "Couldn't get anything out of the Captain, could you?"

Garcia shrugged, "Perhaps. However, I have my own ways of getting what I need. Now..." Stepping past Mr. Neumann, the Eurasian Admiral looked down on the various members of the crew. He stared especially sharply at Miriallia. "You know, I'd ordinarily not consider a _woman_ to be the pilot of a Mobile Suit. However, the Captain of this ship is a woman. And, more importantly..."

He turned his head over his shoulder, staring down Kristina, who had stoically watched everything up to this point. Smiling smugly at her, he turned back around and spoke again.

"My own Mobile Suit pilot is a woman."

Without another word, Garcia reached down and tugged Miriallia to her feet. His grip tight enough that Kira's friend cried out in pain, her face scrunched up while Garcia pulled her to his chest. His smirk had only grown wider. He didn't care at all that he was hurting her. He was enjoying hurting her.

Kira saw red, jumping to his feet despite Mr. Murdoch trying to hold him down.

"I'm the one-"

"Let her go, Admiral."

Kristina and Kira spoke at the same time, even as Garcia shut his mouth. Whatever he had been planning to say died on his lips, as he let go of Miriallia. The girl quickly ran to stand behind her boyfriend, Tolle looking absolutely _livid_. Not to the same extent as Kristina, however.

The white-haired woman had moved from her position, her hands clenched by her side. Her voice was cold as ice when she spoke again. "If you want to know who the pilot is, there's no need to torture a teenage girl. I know you're just fishing for a reaction."

"Oh?" Garcia's smile turned a little annoyed, his hand dropping to his side from where it had been holding Miriallia. "Say I was just fishing for a reaction. Do you expect me to believe that _boy _is the pilot?"

"I _am_ the pilot!" Kira shouted, before Kristina could say anything. His eyes were narrowed in more than a little anger, despite his normally soft personality. He wouldn't let anyone hurt his friends. "Don't hurt my friends, just to try and get me to do something!"

Snorting softly, Garcia stepped towards Kira, completely ignoring the looks the _Archangel_ crew were giving him. "Give me a break, kid. If you're the pilot, then this crew must be more desperate than I thought!"

Without another word, the Admiral threw a punch at Kira. Kristina was instantly rushing forward, completely heedless of the men with assault rifles behind her. Kira?

He just dodged the punch, his hands snapping out and grabbing Garcia's arm. Without any apparent effort, he flung the pudgy Admiral to the floor. Kira had no training in fighting. He was operating entirely on instinct and frustration. Even so, it had been completely effortless to do that. Garcia had overextended and Kira's Coordinator reflexes and instincts had taken over. It was as simple as that.

It had every Eurasian in the room, save for Kristina, aiming rifles at him.

"You little brat..." Garcia grunted, pulling himself to his feet. "What makes you think you can just-"

Before the situation could possibly escalate further, a redheaded girl beside Kristina spoke up. Her voice trembling with emotion, as she shouted, "Kira's telling the truth! He's a Coordinator, that's how he can fly that machine!"

One could have heard a pin drop, in the silence that greeted those words. Mr. Murdoch sighed and planted his face in his hand. Sai placed a hand on his fiance's shoulder, whispering _'Flay...'_ into her ear. Garcia began to smirk...and laugh deeply and merrily. Kira didn't know how to react. Finally, Kristina shook her head, and stepped back.

"Goddamnit. I knew something was off." She muttered, as Garcia stopped laughing, staring down on Kira. Any anger and annoyance had long-since vanished from his expression.

"You know, I never would have thought a Coordinator was flying that machine." Garcia smiled, his smile lacking any and all warmth. "But it _does_ make more sense now..."

Kira found that he didn't like that expression. Not one bit.

* * *

**_Archangel_ Hangar**

* * *

Deep inside the _Archangel, _Kira came to a stunned halt. The people surrounding the Strike didn't grab his attention. Garcia stopping in front of it didn't phase him. He didn't even stare at his machine- _his machine?_ -for once. His attention had been inexorably drawn towards the cradle next to the Strike. It had been empty since he had first boarded the _Archangel_, what felt like an eternity ago. With all the other Gundams stolen by ZAFT, there hadn't _been_ anything to put in it. The Strike was alone, other than the Lieutenant's Moebius Zero. So...

What was another Mobile Suit, another _Gundam_, doing there?

"That's _my_ machine, Yamato." Kristina's soft voice spoke up from behind him, prompting Kira to spin around. A small smile was on her youthful face, as she shrugged her shoulders. "I figured Garcia would move it here. I wasn't joking when I said he probably dreams about the _Archangel_ being his personal flagship now."

"Why does it look so much like the Strike, though?" Kira asked, his gaze torn back to the Gundam.

It wasn't an identical copy, for sure. It only had the V-fin on the head, instead of the Strike's two fins. It was slimmer and curved in places where the Strike was hard corners and harsh edges. The head was shaped a little differently and the eyes of the machine were blue instead of yellow. It had no side-skirts, though the front skirts were much longer and larger than on the Strike. The arms and legs were completely different...and it had two massive pods attached to the back, with something sticking out the top of them. For all of that though?

The most notable thing about it was the color. It was the _exact same as the Strike. _Red and blue all over, other than green highlights around the thruster vents and orange on the cockpit.

Kristina could only shrug, her own voice filled with curiosity. "To be completely honest, I don't know. The Gundam that this was developed from looks like the Strike too, but...well. I've never seen the Strike before today."

"Then how can-"

Anything else Kira could have said, or wanted to say, was cut off by Garcia. The Admiral had noticed the two pilots not following him, and glared in their direction. Mostly at Kristina, instead of Kira.

"You know, I don't know why a Coordinator would be working with the Earth Forces." The Admiral spoke up, his voice filled with a bit of barely hidden annoyance. At least, until his eyes drifted over to Kira. "Still, I can hardly complain. Once you've unlocked the OS of this machine, I think you could be _quite_ useful for us all, boy."

Kira frowned, "What are you talking about? I'm a civilian."

"Perhaps you are _now_. But, even so, you're a Coordinator." Garcia shrugged his shoulders, looking up at the Strike. Kira and Kristina had, by now, moved to stand right beside it. "You could easily examine this machine and create another like it. Or a weapon to defeat that special armor. There's so many different ways we could use your talents!"

"I don't have any military training or experience!" Kira tried to protest, flinging his hands out in honest frustration. _Why does he think I can do anything like that? I've never done anything but fly the Strike a couple times!_

Beside the teenager, Kristina nodded her head in agreement. "He's not lying, Admiral. Just because he's a Coordinator, doesn't mean he can do all of that. I've known Coordinators who would be worse than a Natural teenager at using computers. Genetic modifications don't mean _everything_."

Waving a hand dismissively, the Eurasian didn't bother replying to his mercenary. He just stared at Kira, with that smug smirk. "No Coordinator who could fly a Mobile Suit like this would be useless. At any rate, it hardly matters what you want. You're already a traitor to your fellow Coordinators, after all. They'd never take you back." Spreading his hands wide, the Admiral's smirk widened. "As you are, you're quite useful to the Earth Forces. I'm sure you'll be treated well, even in Eurasia. Coordinators that don't side with ZAFT are always treated well!"

Kira flinched back as if he had been slapped. His violet eyes widened in shock and dismay, as those words sank in. A...traitor? Was he a traitor? Flashes of Athrun's words flew past his eyes. The Aegis dancing around his attacks, while Athrun screamed at him. Accused him of being a traitor who was working with the Naturals. Working with the people who had killed his mother. The Duel, trying so very hard to kill him without even knowing he _was_ a Coordinator. What would that pilot do if he knew the truth?

What would anyone in ZAFT do if they knew the truth?

_I-I'm not-_

"Admiral, do you _really_ want to go there?" Kristina's voice was, if it was possible, even colder than it had been before. Kira wasn't in any state to notice much, but even he saw how her eyes had narrowed into flinty slits. Their red color only served to reinforce her glare. "If you say anything that sounds like it comes from Blue Cosmos, you can consider our contract _cancelled_."

"Bah, I'm not concerned with those fanatics." Garcia waved a hand dismissively. "However, you can't deny that this war is fundamentally a war between Naturals and Coordinators. And any Coordinator who doesn't work with ZAFT is a traitor to their cause."

"You and I both know that's _nonsense._ Yamato probably hasn't even been to the PLANTs, if he was living on Heliopolis. That's like saying I'm a traitor to Eurasia just because I'm a Natural who isn't a part of your military."

Sighing in frustration, Kristina turned to place a hand on Kira's shoulder. "Don't listen to him, kid. You aren't a traitor to anyone. You understand that, right?"

"I-" Kira couldn't form words, his mind too consumed with worry over Athrun. He _knew_ that his best friend thought he was a traitor. "I'm not a...I'm not a traitor..."

Kristina nodded, gently squeezing. "Exactly. Don't listen to what he says."

Letting go, the mercenary turned and glared at the Admiral. Her expression conveyed many different emotions, but none more so than anger. She wasn't remotely happy with what Garcia had said. Even in his current state, Kira could tell that much. It rather helped that she stepped in front of him, shielding the teenager from the Eurasians. She seemed completely fearless. Heedless of the guns aimed at her, as if they didn't matter. She would never be shot and she would never let him be hurt.

Compared to every other soldier he'd met lately, Kira found it strangely comforting, even if he didn't doubt that Lieutenants Ramius or La Flaga would do the same.

"I'll help him disable the lock on the Strike, but if you put one foot out of line, _Admiral..._I'm not going to help you."

Whatever Garcia may, or may not, have said was lost to time. At that very moment, Artemis began shaking. Shaking so hard that even the _Archangel_ shook in the clamps holding her to the dock.

"Explosions?" Kira breathed out, his own eyes narrowing slightly.

The shaking wasn't a meteor. Or an asteroid. After feeling the exact same thing at Heliopolis...Kira knew it. He could recognize the sensation, even as Garcia began to run towards a phone to call his own staff. The Eurasian marines seemed confused and torn on what to do, while the various scientists and engineers began to scramble to run away. Kira? He looked at the Strike, before his eyes were drawn down to Kristina.

Her red-eyed gaze boring into his own, as she spoke one simple question. "Are you ready to fight, Yamato?"

What else could Kira do but nod, and stick his hand out. "I'm ready. Though...call me Kira, please?"

"Kira, then." Kristina took his hand and shook it, before letting go and jumping into the air towards her own Gundam.

Watching her go, Kira moved to board the Strike. He hated flying it. He hated fighting, especially against Athrun and his team. But he wouldn't let his friends be hurt. He couldn't!

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-_

Kristina would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about Kira Yamato. As she set her Mobile Suit up on the _Archangel's_ catapult, she cursed Garcia with everything she had. If she hadn't been 'working' for the man, she probably would have punched his lights out. What he said was reprehensible directed at a career soldier. Sent at a teenager only a few years younger than she was, it was _ridiculous_. The poor kid was having a panic attack and the bastard just kept on going. The more vicious part of her hoped that he ate a beam while his base fell apart around him.

And, as she launched, it was very clearly falling apart around him.

"Kira! Stay close out here, we don't want to be caught in one of _those_!" Kristina called out into the radio, as a brown-painted Agamemnon detonated in a spectacular plume of flame.

_"I understand." _Kira's voice lacked any real energy to it, as the Strike zoomed out of the _Archangel_. It bore a different set of weapons this time, a massive sword in one hand, with a small buckler on the other. Were the other weapons not ready...?

Shaking her head, Kristina decided it didn't really matter. She turned all her attention to where the explosions were coming from. A pitch-black Gundam was visible, looking almost like a demon against the flames highlighting it. The machine, blue eyes identical to her own Mobile Suit, charged towards her without hesitating more than a second. A second of surprise at the second 'Gundam' facing it, perhaps?

It didn't matter. The black Gundam swung its shielded arm, a pink beam saber igniting at the end of it. Kristina bit back a curse, pulling hard on her own controls. Her machine responded perfectly, pulling back as the Gundam flew 'down' beneath her. Kira took the opening as if he had been expecting it, charging the Strike forward to swing its oversized blade down towards the enemy. With an almost panicked turn, the ZAFT machine twisted around the blow and pulled back. His shield came up once more, aiming directly at the Strike.

Three white rockets shot forth, two missing the Strike entirely while the third was cut neatly in two.

_Damn, the kid knows what he's doing._

Smirking despite herself, Kristina reached behind her machine's shoulder. A hand clenched down on the handle of her own beam saber, the large green blade sizzling to life with an unstable energy rippling down its length. It was nothing like the smooth pink of the Alliance machines. "Kira, keep him occupied! My Draken can handle anything he can throw at it!"

It was a confidence borne from her experience fighting other Mobile Suits in training duels. Not in her machine overpowering a Gundam, even while she boosted forward. No reply came from Kira, other than him launching some sort of hook from his buckler.

With almost obvious ease, the black Gundam fired his own rocket arm at the Strike's, the two bouncing off the other. Kristina took advantage to swing her emerald saber down, neatly cutting the wire on the Gundam's hook. She could almost hear the ZAFT pilot curse in his cockpit, as green beams began to fire from the shield. She ducked behind her own shield, grimacing at the impacts.

"Everything is in the shield...?"

Pulling back again, Kristina smiled as Kira charged in. The two of them weren't really working together. They were taking advantage of openings, each of them punishing the black Gundam with blows from their swords. It didn't matter. Explosions continued to flare around them, the flames growing ever larger and brighter. Artemis' own lighting had long-since died, casting everything in darkness save for the crackling blaze.

It silhouetted the Gundams against the flames, as the black one readied to charge forward.

_"Kira! The Archangel is leaving through the back port! Please get back here!"_

Kristina had the feeling she wouldn't have heard that, if she hadn't already been tied to the Strike's communications. She looked out the side of her panoramic cockpit, spotting the Strike turning around to flee from the other Gundam. Her gaze turned back to the black Gundam, seeming surprised at what it was seeing. Kristina didn't give it time to do much else.

Her rifle came up and spit a single pink beam, forcing it back into the flames, as she turned to follow the Strike.

The Draken ducked and weaved past falling debris and collapsing warships, quickly coming upon the _Archangel_ behind a wall of flame. The Strike had already landed on the deck ahead of the bridge, kneeling down to brace itself against the acceleration of the departing warship. Biting her lip, the 'mercenary' shot her machine forward as fast as it could go. She barely managed to come to a landing next to the Strike.

Sucking in a deep breath, she watched as the ship fled the collapsing asteroid. Her home for months, falling apart in flames.

_Well, I guess I'm working with the Atlantic Federation now..._

Somehow, Kristina couldn't stop the smile at the thought of working with such an _interesting_ crew.

* * *

**AN: There we go! :D**

I'm sure people are probably going to ask questions about this. 'What took so long?' and 'why'd you stop Sword?'. Well, the answers to those questions are simple. I was out of writing for quite awhile there, and only really started again this year with _Ori War_ again. I could have revived Sword too, but... .

Sky: Both of us really thought it worked better to scrap it, take the good ideas, and rework it. The big issue with Sword was stations of canon and that, despite starting before Heliopolis, it still followed the same beats. It was reaching the point where it could diverge. But it wasn't quite there yet. Ergo, it was simpler to redo it. Also, while I don't think either of us regret the OC submissions (if anyone who read the old one still wants their OC in here, we can try to work them in. If it doesn't break something) it made way too many characters to juggle.

AN: What he said .

Sky: Another thing is that, in hindsight, we broke the GX out way too early. That's a mid-season upgrade if there ever was one. To me, at least.

AN: Me too. So with all that in mind, we decided to redo things. Right down to starting at Artemis! :P

It was mostly Sky's idea, honestly, though. Starting at Artemis is different and lets us change up the plot sooner without covering things that we've all seen a million times. That's why this chapter didn't cover anything with the things outside Kristina or Kira's view. We wanted to focus on mostly new things. We even expanded on the old scenes!

Sky: You can expect a bit more of that, until we start breaking the plot. Speaking of which...hoo _boy_ are we going to take SEED's plot and bend it over our knees, so to speak. While some stations of canon remain (ie, the really big stuff like Spitbreak) the rest of the fic is going to go in some different directions here. Expect some of the characters to have different actions and motivations, too. This is...well. Sis?

AN: Kind of an AU to start with? Like, not even the GX and Sword being here is the major change. The entire universe is just _slightly_ off of regular SEED. Certain characters will not be exactly what you expect, and some people may be alive who should be dead. Not saying anything else though. Don't want to spoil our fic :P

Sky: Basically, we want to _surprise_ the readers. Everyone knows the 'Rau is a genocidal nutcase' or the 'Kira and Cagalli are twins, and Kira is a designer baby even by Coordinator standards' plot twists. The best way to get around that, and make this a surprising fic instead of another retread, is that have it a subtly different Cosmic Era to start. Sword and the GX are just part of it.

AN: Yup! Now, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry, we'll focus on the other characters too, moving forward. It won't just be Kira and Kristina hogging the limelight. Sky would like to say he learned his lesson with _Angel_ there. Everyone- I mean, all the major characters -will get their own development and time to shine. And we'll show more perspectives during the fights :D

Sky: I'm not sure how many people are still in the SEED section, but drop a review if you are. It helps feed the muse, y'see.


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